Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 379 The Seven-Tailed Fox is Missing

The first joint Chunin Exams between Konoha and Sunagakure were abruptly terminated due to an unforeseen event. However, the performance of all examinees was sent to their respective villages, whereby each village would decide whether a ninja would advance.

This incident could be considered a rebellion. The new Kazekage quickly resolved the internal troubles before daring to send envoys to deliver information about the exams. The envoys sent to other ninja villages encountered no problems, but the reception at Takigakure was particularly long. What was supposed to be a simple matter of delivering information turned into a whole day of questioning and dawdling before they were finally allowed to leave.

The Sand Village ninja who delivered the intelligence wasn't of high rank and was completely unaware of the various details of the exam. He didn't know the answers to any of the questions, yet he was still questioned for a long time, making him feel like he was being deliberately harassed. However, since the interruption of the exam was Sand Village's fault, they couldn't say anything and could only suffer in silence.

However, it was actually Takigakure who were truly anxious and frustrated. The Sunagakure messengers had all arrived, but the contestants hadn't returned yet—was this normal?

The village chief already sensed something was wrong, but the existence of the Jinchuriki was crucial to the balance of power between ninja villages, so he didn't dare to openly demand the person from Sunagakure. Instead, he sent people to search the route Fu and the others would likely take back to the village. This search, as expected, uncovered a problem. In southern Takigakure, not far from the border of Amegakure, they discovered extensive battle traces. The area wasn't large, but it definitely exceeded the capabilities of ordinary ninjas. Moreover, they found a large amount of special scale powder in the cratered, dense forest—the unique technique of the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki!

"Keep searching, search carefully, don't overlook any details!" The village chief, who was on the scene, realized that something terrible had happened. Fu was very likely to have met with misfortune. But there were only so many beings in the world who could defeat a Jinchuriki, and the names that were swirling in his mind never stopped.

If only we could find concrete evidence pointing to the attacker, at least we wouldn't let Fu die in vain...

"Village chief, come and see this!" An old ninja's voice came at this moment, and his tone was very unusual, which made the battle-hardened ninja tremble slightly.

"Coming right now." The village chief rushed over, following the gaze to take a closer look. It was a pile of rubble, nothing special, but upon closer inspection, he discovered that the dark cracks weren't real cracks, but rather... long, thin, hair-like black tentacles. People from other villages might not recognize them, but they were the nightmare of Takigakure Village.

"...Is it him?" the village chief murmured.

"There's no mistake, this is the product of that secret technique..." The old ninja's voice trembled, his eyes filled with sorrow, "This is retribution, retribution!"

Earth Grudge Fear, a secret technique once kept secret by Takigakure. It's a technique that can render a person inhuman, yet allows the user to continue living by taking the lives of others. Kakuzu's name has echoed in the dark underworld of the ninja world for countless years, but this man who once massacred the high-ranking officials of Takigakure has never bothered them since. They thought that by ignoring him and pretending he didn't exist, they could continue to live peacefully. Unexpectedly, the shadow of the past still came knocking, shattering Takigakure's last hope.

If Fu had grown up step by step, she would have been able to become a bridge for Takigakure to return to the ninja world, but this hope was swallowed up before it could shine.

"If I remember correctly, Kakuzu has now joined an organization called 'Akatsuki.' Should we ask the Five Great Nations for help and try to rescue Miss? They dared to attack a Jinchūriki; they must have crossed a line. We..."

"No way." The village chief gritted his teeth and rejected the suggestion. "Takigakure has been weak for a long time and is no longer what it once was. If the Five Great Nations find out that the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki is missing, it's tantamount to telling them, 'We're finished!'"

"Block the news and try to restore this area..." The village chief took a deep breath and said slowly, "Fu has returned to the village and is no longer going out."

At that moment, they were unaware that among the patrol members were a pair of bright red eyes, faithfully recording everything that was happening there.

"What do you mean, 'mistake'?"

Facing those eerie purple eyes, Kakuzu was still a little intimidated. He knew that someone like him could never calmly work for the weak. Joining Akatsuki was both his choice and a compromise after being beaten into submission. His previous missions, though somewhat fraught with difficulties, were generally completed satisfactorily. The main problem was that Hidan wasn't very bright and easily caused him trouble.

However, this was a crucial mission directly assigned by his superiors. He repeatedly emphasized the importance of the mission to Hidan, telling him to stay put and watch the show, and not cause any trouble. Who could have imagined that he would lose two hearts, and just when he was so close to defeating her, the fallen Jinchuriki had vanished when the dust settled! Her two teammates, who had been dragging her down, were also nowhere to be found.

He and Hidan practically dug three feet into the ground, searching the entire vicinity, but they couldn't find a single person or any trace of escape.

Is this reasonable?

Payne's expression remained unchanged; he simply turned his gaze to Zetsu, the guy who spent his days crawling in the dirt. Zetsu shrugged and said, "There's no trace on the ground or underground. It's like he vanished into thin air."

"Space-time ninjutsu?" Pain finally frowned. The first person that came to mind was the guy with the vortex mask, but that person didn't seem to have any reason to intercept the attack. So, the bigger suspect was Naruto Uzumaki?

Fu does have records of contact with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and it's very likely she received the Flying Thunder God Mark at that time. However, how the attacker knew Fu was attacked, and how they managed to rescue her at just the right moment, is worth investigating. Surely that guy doesn't have eyes that can see hundreds of miles away and know what's happening on the borders of other countries?

That person was right, the Flying Thunder God Technique is indeed a big problem.

But if it really was the Nine-Tails that rescued the Seven-Tails, then why did Konoha not react at all? They didn't even inform Takigakure, which is completely inconsistent with Konoha's usual behavior.

Should we test the Nine-Tails beforehand?

Although the risks are high, his existence has already begun to affect Akatsuki's plans. While capturing him is the last priority, gathering intelligence beforehand is still essential. Now that he's become an elite Jonin, there will be many missions to come; let's find an opportunity to probe him.

It would be even better if we could find the Seven-Tails.